A centrifuge according to one or more embodiments may include: a rotor comprising a holder that holds a reaction container, the rotor swingably supporting the holder; a rotating shaft connected to the rotor; a drive that rotates the rotating shaft; and a restriction member configured to come into contact with the holder to restrict a tilt angle of the reaction container when the drive is rotating the rotating shaft.

The present invention relates to a system for conducting the identification and quantification of micro-organisms, e.g., bacteria in biological samples. More particularly, the invention relates to a system comprising a cooling, heating and fan arrangement for maintaining a predetermined optimum temperature of the samples during testing; a visual, circumferential and axial alignment system for aligning the samples within the carousel; a transfer system for transferring the samples from the carousel to the centrifuge; a balancing system of minimizing the rotational vibrations of the centrifuge; a safety system and anti-tipping design for the sample containing system; liquid dispensing arms for dispensing the buffered saline solution; and discharge ports for discharging and disposing of the liquid removed from the samples to a location external of the system.

An apparatus for and method of enabling enhanced, selective agitation of liquid containing a solid-phase reagent. The apparatus includes at least one liquid-bearing container, a circular tray, and a motor. The liquid-bearing container(s) includes at least one internal baffle that imparts turbulent agitation to the liquid when flowing from one end of the container to an opposite end. The circular tray is adapted for selective rotation about a vertical axis of rotation. The rotary circular tray assembly includes container-receiving stations that selectively retain a respective liquid-bearing container in an inclined or pitched orientation with respect to a horizontal plane. The motor creates centrifugal force, which causes liquid in the container(s) to travel from the first end of the container to the second end of the container via the internal baffle(s), agitating the liquid and the solid-phase portions of the reagent. When gravitational force exceeds the centrifugal force, liquid in the container(s) travels from the second end of the container to the first end of the container via the internal baffle(s), again agitating the liquid and the solid-phase portions of the reagent.

A microscale method for the characterization of one or more reaction variables that influence the formation or dissociation of an affinity complex comprising a ligand and a binder, which have mutual affinity for each other. The method is characterized in comprising the steps of: (i) providing a microfluidic device comprising a microchannel structures that are under a common flow control, each microchannel structure comprising a reaction microactivity; (ii) performing essentially in parallel an experiment in each of two or more of the plurality of microchannel structures, the experiment in these two or more microchannel structures comprising either a) formation of an immobilized form of the complex and retaining under flow conditions said form within the reaction microactivity, or b) dissociating, preferably under flow condition, an immobilized form of the complex which has been included in the microfluidic device provided in step (i), at least one reaction variable varies or is uncharacterized for said two or more microchannel structures while the remaining reaction variables are kept essentially constant; (iii) measuring the presentation of the complex in said reaction microactivity in said two or more microchannel structures; and (iv) characterizing said one or more reaction variables based on the values for presentation obtained in step (iii).

The present disclosure relates to a sample preparation device and a related method. The sample preparation device includes a sample preparation module having a holder configured to hold the sample container, and an actuator coupled to the holder. The actuator is configured to cause the holder to repeatedly change a position of the sample container a set number of times in order when the sample container is held by the holder. The sample preparation device also includes a staging module configured to hold the sample container for a set period of time. The staging module includes a rack that holds the sample container when the sample container is released from the holder. The set period of time is sufficient to allow the blood in the sample container to further clot.

The invention lies in the field of laboratory automation and relates to a laboratory analysis system 100, in which a plurality of analysis devices 1 and an image recording station 101 are connected to a transportation apparatus 102 for sample vessels and in which sample-vessel-specific information items, which are established in the image recording station 101, are used for controlling the pipetting apparatuses in the analysis devices 1.

The present invention relates to a system for conducting the identification and quantification of micro-organisms, e.g., bacteria in biological samples. More particularly, the invention relates to a system comprising a cooling, heating and fan arrangement for maintaining a predetermined optimum temperature of the samples during testing; a visual, circumferential and axial alignment system for aligning the samples within the carousel; a transfer system for transferring the samples from the carousel to the centrifuge; a balancing system of minimizing the rotational vibrations of the centrifuge; a safety system and anti-tipping design for the sample containing system; liquid dispensing arms for dispensing the buffered saline solution; and discharge ports for discharging and disposing of the liquid removed from the samples to a location external of the system.

A modular automatic analyzer using a circular type cartridge enabling centrifugation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body frame; an X-axis conveying unit which reciprocally moves in an X-axis direction with respect to the main body frame; a circular type cartridge accommodating housing which is installed with respect to the X-axis conveying unit so as to be reciprocally movable in the X-axis direction by the X-axis conveying unit, a single rotation drive unit which is installed in the circular type cartridge accommodating housing and is rotated step by step at a predetermined interval or rotated at a high speed for centrifugation, a circular type cartridge which is installed at an upper surface of the circular type cartridge accommodating housing so as to be rotatably connected to the rotation drive unit and has wells disposed to be spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of a disc-shaped main body, a tip lifting unit which picks up and moves a tip upward and downward, a measurement unit which measures a reaction in the well, a Z-axis drive unit which is provided with the tip lifting unit and the measurement unit and reciprocally operates in a Z-axis direction with respect to the main body frame, and a control unit C which controls an automatic immunity analyzer.

The present invention relates to a system for conducting the identification and quantification of micro-organisms, e.g., bacteria in biological samples. More particularly, the invention relates to a system comprising a cooling, heating and fan arrangement for maintaining a predetermined optimum temperature of the samples during testing; a visual, circumferential and axial alignment system for aligning the samples within the carousel; a transfer system for transferring the samples from the carousel to the centrifuge; a balancing system of minimizing the rotational vibrations of the centrifuge; a safety system and anti-tipping design for the sample containing system; liquid dispensing arms for dispensing the buffered saline solution; and discharge ports for discharging and disposing of the liquid removed from the samples to a location external of the system.

A sample processing arrangement for processing a fluidic sample, the sample processing arrangement including a sample holder for accommodating the fluidic sample, an apparatus having a rotor mechanism and being configured for selectively operating the sample holder in an orbital motion mode for sample mixing, particularly for shaking, or in a rotary motion mode for sample separation, particularly for centrifuging, a mounting platform having a central portion on which the apparatus and the sample holder are mounted and having a surrounding portion circumferentially surrounding the central portion, and a plurality of module accommodation positions circumferentially distributed in the surrounding portion to surround the rotor mechanism and the sample holder, wherein each of the module accommodation positions is configured for detachably accommodating a selectable one of a plurality of sample processing modules, each being configured for fulfilling an assigned sample processing task, by accommodating the respective sample processing module in the respective one of the module accommodation positions.